Clockwork toy
Category
Toys
Date
circa 1900
Materials
Fur fabric, cardboard, metal and glass
Measurements
160 mm (width); 155 mm (height); 60 mm (depth)
Order this imageCollection
Sudbury Hall Museum of Childhood, Derbyshire
NT 663488
Caption
This little clockwork cat may no longer look her best, but you will excuse her, when you find out it's because her owner had to rescue her from the Coventry blitz during World War II!
Summary
A clockwork toy cat with its original key. Mostly made of metal, the lower part of the mouth appears to be made of cardboard, and now hangs open. All is covered in much worn, black, short-pile fur fabric. One eye is missing. When wound, the cat moves its head, opens and closes its mouth, and wags its tail. Notes from the donor of the cat -"It was owned by my mother who was born in 1913 and I think she played with it as a child. The house where she lived as a child was bombed and totally destroyed on the night of the Coventry blitz, and I think she recovered it from the debris". Total number of items is 2.